


Fire & Ice, Sugar 'n' Spice

by LitheFider



Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: Awkwardness, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Holidays, Human Legos, Humor, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 08:13:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5449595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LitheFider/pseuds/LitheFider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel and Danny (Good Cop / Bad Cop) have to go to Bricksburg high school during the Holiday season to give a safety assembly with the sassy Fire Chief, Justin Furneaux.  Joy to the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fire & Ice, Sugar 'n' Spice

**Author's Note:**

> Justin is the fireman minifig we see in the Lego Movie. His full name is seen only in the Lego Movie videogame, the minifig is called "Blaze". This fic also deals with the cops having to explain their 'dual born' nature to others, a point of awkwardness for them and not something they like explaining to strangers.
> 
> Special thanks to Dessartem for a beta and helping with the idea!

<Oh joy, our favorite place.>  Bad Cop’s words drip with sarcasm as he grumbles to his counterpart in their mind.  He pushes the door of their police cruiser shut with a snap of his wrist.  The heavy door’s usually satisfying CA-CHUNK sound gives little comfort.  
  
<C’mon buddy, it’s for the good of the kids,> Good Cop replies with a sigh, though it is obvious Daniel is not 100% looking forward to it either, much as he loves these social relations things.  Speaking to reporters or a group of deputies is one matter; it’s another thing entirely to speak to a classroom of kids face-to-face.  <Safety is important.>   
  
<Yea yea, I know.> Danny grabs his silver briefcase before locking the car.  He fixes his jacket and belt, preparing to accept his fate.  Might as well look presentable as possible before they bury you.   Here lies Chief Danny & Daniel: death by jaded teenagers.   
  
He gets on his way to the back door of the looming Bricksburg High School.  The outside is festively decorated with boughs of fake greenery.  He knows Daniel is going to be doing a lot of the presentation so he stays switched in for now; best to let his counterpart rest while he can.

<Remember when we did stuff like this back in the countryside?  That program thing about drugs or somethin’?> Danny mutters.  Those class sizes were smaller though, he thinks, and we didn’t have such a known reputation either.  
  
<Yea, gosh.  Seems like forever ago.>   
  
<Least we don’t have to do THAT anymore.>   
  
<No kiddin’ buddy.  I was starting to get weirded out by that one deputy that dressed in a dog mascot costume for the grade schoolers.>   
  
The halls are empty, but the distant sound of shuffling and talking teenagers can be heard.  Danny heads for the health ed room near the gym where they had been told to go.  He pauses as he passes the glass display cases showing off the sports achievements of the school’s students.  Bricksburg High dominated during Business’s rule, though that might be in part because people were afraid to cross the man who was their biggest supporter and fan.     
  
<Remember our short-lived time on the soccer team in high school?> Daniel chuckles, seeing the soccer trophies through his counterpart’s eyes.   
  
<Remember how many balls I kicked through windows?>   
  
<Yea, that’s exactly why it was short-lived, buddy.>   
  
<We did do better on the wrestling team…> Danny muses.   
  
Daniel giggles mischievously.  They both recall how Daniel would fake out competitors with his sweet demeanor only for Danny to switch in and pin them to the mat with a growl.  Some teams from competing schools would complain saying they should have been told of their weird birth condition before the match.  Not like being “dual born” was exactly a well-known thing, even with all the different types of people across the realms.     
  
“Hey tiger,” a smooth voice greets uncomfortably close to Danny’s head.   
  
Bad Cop growls in surprise and jumps away, brandishing the briefcase in front of him.  He frowns in a sideways pout seeing who it is, not surprised considering the silly shit the other man just pulled.  “Damn it Justin, how can ye be so darn quiet in those boots?” Danny grumbles as he relaxes his shoulders.   
  
The middle-aged Fire Chief is in full uniform, same as the Cops.  He has his white fireman’s helmet crooked in his arm.  A holly sprig pin is attached to his breast pocket.  “Well not everyone stomps around in their boots trying to sound intimidating.”   
  
“I’ll have ye know these are steel-toed for a REASON,” Danny huffs back, pointing at his own boots.   
  
“Save it for the surly teenagers.  C’mon,” Justin laughs and motions for the Police Chief to follow him. “And I thought I said you could call me Blaze, remember?”   
  
Danny comes up to walk alongside him.  He grunts like he knows Justin has told him that before; it’s the nickname all his firefighters call him, like how he and Daniel are famously nicknamed ‘Bad Cop’ and ‘Good  Cop’.  “So now that things are more chaotic, we gotta give talks like this…”  It’s a mixed bag of emotions.  They are glad to be out from under Business’s heel and are proud of being a real Chief of Police, but it sure has caused a spike in crime and accidents among the citizens.  With things so lax and free again, the order quickly fell back into chaos.     
  
“Yea, sorry you gotta join us public service peons here on the ground,” Justin jabs playfully.   
  
Danny smirks and laughs once, then mutters, “I’m just no good with kids.”   
  
“How about your other half?  I thought this was his kinda thing?”  Blaze has only gotten to know the Cops after Taco Tuesday.  Before that they were practically a mythological figure of intimidation and rarely talked to individual citizens except on assignment from Business.  It was only in the last four to five years of Business’s rule that they become so holed away, but Blaze became Fire Chief around the same time, so he didn’t have the opportunity earlier anyway.   
  
Daniel comes out to speak for himself, switching the mirrored aviators for the round glasses that are tucked in his breast pocket. “It is my department, yea.  I am decent with kids, but these are teenagers .” Daniel speaks the word with a hiss and narrowed eyes, but then can’t help but giggle.   
  
Justin has to absorb the sudden switch; he isn’t fully used to that yet.  He smirks though, not wanting Daniel to feel he was freaked out.  Also his joking tone and face were very successful in being funny. “Heheh yea, you got that right.”   
  
Danny meanwhile slides into the comfort of his mindspace, wondering if he can just stay there and avoid talking to kids altogether.  He knows it’s wishful thinking, though.  There’s no way they can expect the kids to be satisfied with just Daniel.  He is notorious as ‘Bad Cop’ and they will prod at them until he comes out, he just knows it.  Besides, if anyone can scare sense into the kids that won’t listen to Daniel’s sweet reason and smooth talking, it’s him.     
  
Daniel smiles and points at the holly in Justin’s pocket.  “Aww man, I wanted to put on something festive too, but Danny was worried it’d make us look less professional to the kids.”   
  
“Ehhh what a scrooge!” Justin laughs, knowing Danny can hear him. “Bahh humbug.”   
  
Danny huffs inside his mindspace.   
  
Daniel laughs back and waves a hand, “No no he actually doesn’t mind Christmas, or putting on something festive at the station .  I just love Christmas so much I kinda overload him sometimes, heheh.”     
  
“Well it’s a good thing I brought an extra.” Justin digs into his pocket and takes out another holly pin, bright red berries and all, which he helpfully pins onto their jacket by their radio.   
  
“Ahhh gosh, thanks Justin!” Daniel knows it will make Danny balk so he smirks taking pride in it even more to rub it in.   
  
<MUTINITY!> Danny calls out.   
  
< Ho ho ho buddy. > Daniel sing-songs to him.   
  
“Ahh this is it, right?” Daniel says as they find the room marked ‘health ed’. He peers in but the desks are empty.  A teacher is there organizing papers. He seems to take notice of their faces in the window.  Daniel waits politely for a signal but Blaze just walks past and goes right in.  Daniel sighs and follows after, closing the door behind.   
  
“Where is everyone?” Justin asks.     
  
“OH, well, finishing seating in the gym of course,” the teacher says matter-of-factly.  “Couldn’t you hear all the noise coming from the gym?”   
  
“We just thought it was usual gym noise…?” Daniel bites his lip.  Oh no, are they to give a talk to a whole damn GYM of kids?  He thought it was going to be just one health education class.   
  
The teacher can see the confusion on the faces of the men.  He grimaces. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew?  We agreed on this instead of doing multiple presentations that would take all day, to just have an assembly instead.”   
  
Justin racks his brain and things are a little foggy.  He seems to recall that on a message on the machine.  Well, no matter, better than being there all day and repeating himself.   
  
Daniel grips the briefcase tighter and sighs.  “No no, it’s okay...”   
  
<DANIEL, there is gonna to be like a million kids in there!> Danny’s panic begins bubbling up.   
  
<It’ll be okay buddy, just calm down - >   
  
<Yea okay, you tellin’ ME to be calm, I kin’ feel yer nervousness welling up too ye know!  Yer great with people but public speaking to such a crowd like this…especially after…>   
  
Daniel sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.  <Well, if anything, maybe you barking at the kids will make them remember what we are actually trying to say.  The more anxiety-ridden you are the louder you get.>   
  
Danny huffs and curls up in his mindspace.  He grumbles out an ‘I know’.  He hates himself for it and if it was anyone but his counterpart saying it he’d bite their head off. <Well, the more nervous YOU are the more you will start to stutter.> Daniel’s stuttering when he is scared is pretty apparent nowadays after the brain trauma he had endured…   
  
“Hey Chiefs!” Justin claps his hand down on their shoulder, causing Daniel to jump.  “I said let’s go, you hear me?  Don’t flake out on me.  We’re in this together, yea?”  He smirks and tries to show it’s no big deal.   
  
“I – yea!”  Daniel puts on his game face to hide his worry.  So funny how they can interrogate people and chase down criminals with ease, but talking in front of a crowd of kids is making them jittery.   
  
They follow after the health ed teacher.  Justin seems relaxed while the Cops look like someone being led down death row to get their last meal.   
  
They walk into the gym, which has the bleachers on the one side FULL of kids.  Kids doodling, phone texting, chewing gum, throwing stuff at each other…   
  
“Everyone!” The gym teachers all bark at the students, clapping and trying to quiet them.  They settle down and especially shut up seeing the uniformed men walking into the room.  The whispering goes on as the health ed teacher takes over.

The health ed teacher tries to get things rolling.  “And right on time here to talk to you about safety, especially at this time of year, is Bricksburg’s own Chief of Police and the Chief of the Fire Department.  Please give them your attention and – I’m looking at you, Jake…” The teacher lowers his eyelids at a known troublemaker who he already sees folding tiny paper airplanes. “They came here out of their busy schedule just for you so give them your full attention."  
  
Good Cop comes up alongside the Fire Chief and smiles sweetly at the group of kids.  He removes his helmet and places it on the provided table they put out for them.  The briefcase goes next to it.  He quickly scans his eyes over the kids with a highly-tuned, seasoned ability to read people.  He instantly picks out the ones who he knows will be hard to get the attention of, and who is most likely to throw things.  Kind as his face is and how he carries himself less intimidatingly as his brother, no one could ever deny Daniel looks authoritative in his uniform.        
  
The kids stay quiet for now and watch as he opens up the presentation briefcase, a typical thing traveling speakers use and they have all seen before.  It’s just a mobile holo-emitter to project a slideshow or movie clips or anything else you program it to.   
  
The Cops talked at length with one another before this on how to introduce themselves.  Their dual-born-ness is  _somewhat_ known by the masses considering how much they have been in the public eye since Business’s fall from power.  They don't exactly explain themselves properly in most public interactions....People might know there are two distinct personalities to "Good Cop Bad Cop", not everyone knows they are two _distinct people_ and not a split personality.  Their deputies and friends know, but it is kind of a personal thing and not something they like to discuss publicly with the masses.  Hiding behind their mask of authority they enjoyed under Business was just one of the many seductive features of their time under him.  No one dared question them.  They just were "Good Cop Bad Cop".  It was a false sense of understanding, but there was something simple, impersonal and easy about it.  
  
But as of recently, they have had to get more comfortable with talking about it to strangers.  Encouragement from people like Unikitty, Metalbeard, Benny, Emmet, and Lucy all has helped a lot.  They can’t believe these people used to be their enemies, and how they thought the master builders were plotting to delve the world into chaos with a super weapon.     
  
They remember some of the words their builder friends have said to them about it –   
  
…   
  
“You were brothers born in one body, I’m sure people can understand that.  Sure they might not understand all your nuances or stuff, but least then they get you are two separate brothers,” Benny told them just a few days ago in reassurance.  Benny was a good listener and had such a kind smile.   
  
“I’m a matter-warped fairy from a far-off land, and even I rule a kingdom across the Great Realms,” Unikitty told them over tea and cookies, mostly cookies.  “If I can come this far and have people accept me, you guys can get used to explaining yourselves to people.  Don’t be ashamed of how you were born!  And don’t take no shit from anyone.  BE POSITIVE.”   
  
“Aye ladies,” Metalbeard was there at the time too, tea cup dwarfed in his oversized, metal hands.  “Same goes for this old cyborg.  If anyone gives you lip, they can hit the high seas.  Besides, most people be of the acceptin’ sort nowdays.”   
  
“Everyone is special in some way, and you guys were just born extra special, yea?” Emmet smiled at them when he and Lucy brought the Cops some doughnuts the other day as a showing of solidarity when they heard specifically about the talk they were going to give at the school.     
  
“Besides all kids are really critical; don’t let them fuck with your head.  Just be sure not to lose your temper Danny, you guys need all the good PR you can get,” Lucy told them, handing over the box.   
  
…   
  
The Cops get a chance to think as Justin suavely introduces himself and gives a short intro about how fire safety is especially important this time of year.  He soon glances over to the Cops, signaling them to give a hello.   
  
They look deep in thought, but Daniel quickly puts on a comforting smile for the crowd.  His glasses catch the light a moment.  “Besides fire safety, with things a bit more chaotic this year than we’ve been used to, we have to take great care to be safe this holiday season.  A little mindfulness to prevent problems is all you need.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”   
  
The presentation continues rather smoothly…for about eight minutes.  The crowd is growing increasingly more whispery and unruly as the teachers try to shush them, but after Justin explains about candles, and Daniel is in the middle of explaining about watching your packages for theft if left on doorsteps – a single paper airplane is expertly thrown among gasps.  Everyone is helpless except to just watch it as it flies, slows, and gently tonks into Daniel’s torso.   
  
The room goes deadly quiet as Daniel pauses, then leans over and picks it up.  Justin stops their presentation slides and watches the kids carefully like trying to pick out who threw it.  He remembers that one teacher eyeing a kid earlier.  

Daniel opens the paper airplane as something appears to be written on it.  It reads, _Show us your Bad Cop side._  
  
  
Daniel eyes the crowd of kids with an expression of bemused incredulity.  He sighs and shifts his weight on his feet,  
  
  
“I…umm…I guess we did not introduce ourselves quite so well, d-did we -”  

 "Where's Bad Cop?!" a kid yells out, the teachers scolding them right after.

 "Yea!" Another rebels and speaks up among more murmuring.

 "Hiding behind that smile yea!"

 "We know who you really are!"

"Stop hiding!"

"What's with the act!?"

Daniel freezes up and sweats.  He swallows but his throat goes dry.  Danny is instantly at his back like he is there with a hand on his shoulder.  <I'll get these kids in line,> he murmurs.  No way he's going to let them bully his counterpart like that.  He's going to set this straight, scared of the crowd or not.    
  
He stuffs down his anxiety and instantly switches in, not changing their glasses until he deliberately crumples up the paper and tosses it behind him with an unamused look, which he hopes will intimidate the kid who threw it. He flicks open the aviators from his front pocket.   
  
Justin grimaces and can’t help but imagine Danny throttling a 16-year-old.  He holds his ground though as Danny switches in, hoping he’s learned better anger management by now.   
  
The kids shush quiet, getting what they want. They watch the Chief’s friendly posture melt into rigid authority as he slips on the mirrored aviators.  “ALRIGHT who’s the troublemaker?!” he barks out, advancing slightly towards the obvious culprit.  “Which one of ye was throwin’ paper airplanes at us?”     
  
Jake sinks down in his bleacher seat and his friends try to hide their guilty looks.   
  
Danny grits his teeth when he lays eyes on the troublemaker.  But he cracks a scowly smirk and grunts out, “How about ye put that curiosity into listenin’?  Ye might learn somethin.’”   
  
Justin breathes a sigh of relief and smiles.  Yea gosh, how could he ever think Danny could hurt a kid?  He’s got a temper but he isn’t crazy.  Thank goodness.   
  
Danny hides behind his sunglasses and thankfully doesn’t have to make any eye contact with the giant crowd of kids as he speaks up, causing them to hush once more.  “Let me get one thing straight before we go on.  Ye really got two Chiefs, me and my brother, Daniel.  And you’ll give him the same respect you give me, got that?”   
  
Daniel feels bolstered by his brother’s toughness, and switches back in to finish the point cause Danny is too worked up to talk straight.  

It’s crazy how different they are.  The kids all are rather shocked watching and listening seeing them switch.  “S-Same as how yer born a builder, or a merperson, or a seafolk, or anything else…we were born as twin b-brothers, and feel the same as any of you with siblings, just - we weren’t born in separate bodies.  It’s a thing called being dual-born.”  He smiles and speaks over his nervousness.  He adds in an aside for comedic effect, “And trust me, it doesn’t make sharing any easier.” 

  
The kids giggle at the last bit, and most seem quite pleasantly surprised with this.  They didn’t realize such a thing existed in the realms.  Sure will give them something to talk about later at lunch.  It just becomes one more piece of patchwork in the diverse quilt of their world, and makes the mysterious and intimidating Chief a little bit more…human.     
  
Danny comes back a few minutes later to authoritatively give some part of the presentation with Justin.  Justin has the meat of things as fire safety is so important this time of year.  But Danny is glad he and Daniel can really hit home the need to still ‘follow the instructions’ to some degree, even with the rules lifted.  Being orderly and safe isn’t bad .  Rebellious teens especially need to be reminded of that in the wake of Business’s fall from power.   
  
…   
  
The kids start to file out slowly as the thirty minute assembly comes to a close.   Anyone is welcome to come up and ask the Chiefs one-on-one questions on their way out, so a little circle of teens surrounds the men.     
  
“Remember, NEVER pour water on a grease fire,” Justin explains to a young lad who was asking again about kitchen safety.  “Last time you just lost your eyebrows.  Might be worse next time.” He chuckles with a grimace.   
  
“So you guys don’t hate master builders?” a ninth grade girl is asking the Cops.   
  
Ahhh of course they could not avoid these things.  Daniel sweats and tries to smile.  “No, no we don’t have anything personally against them.  Our own parents are b-builders.  Just, we thought there was a group of bad master builders that were trying to hurt people.  We were misled.”  Daniel leans over to be more at eye height.  “We are really sorry for everyone we hurt...a-and we know sayin’ sorry isn’t going to make it all better, b-but...well, we’re trying to do good by the city.”   
  
She and the other kids in her friend group never imagined scary old Bad Cop could have such a sweet brother.  It all makes a lot of sense to them really, once it was explained.  They wish they could know more.

Danny switches in to continue the reply. “We...umm...we are both sorry.  Things got out of hand, Business was wrong and we were wrong to follow him.”  He grimaces and looks dead serious. 

  
“You sure kept everyone scared and in line though!”  A tenth grade boy seems to say with too much gusto.   
  
Danny straightens and fixes his aviators.  “I’m STILL keepin’ people in line.  Law is the law.  Business’s crazy rules may be gone, but ye all still gotta be good citizens.”   
  
“Can I be a police officer when I graduate?” A girl says, looking like she is very enthusiastic. “I want to be a good cop!”   
  
Danny smirks.  “We sure could use more of those.”  He takes out his notepad and scribbles something down for her.  It’s recommendations of good academies to look at after school.   
  
She can’t believe he did that and thanks them as she looks at the paper.   
  
Daniel switches in to smile kindly.  “We hope that helps!”   
  
Justin notices a young girl dragging a boy up to them.  He elbows Daniel to get his attention.  “Hey...look it’s the paper airplane kid,” he whispers.   
  
Daniel blinks and looks over.  OH gosh, it is!  He tries to look nonthreatening to show they are not mad.

“Hey, sorry my little brother is a pain,” the girl says like she is shy to come up like this.  She seems to be an eleventh grader, her brother a freshman.  
  
“Ummm,” the boy speaks up, “Sorry sir…I didn’t know your brother was…well I didn’t know you were two separate people and it was a thing and…”  He just thought he was crazy to be honest, or chose to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’.  He’s seeing it isn’t black and white like that.   
  
Daniel smiles sweetly at them, trying not to loom as he is a good foot taller.  “It’s okay, w-we don’t talk about it much.  But we do want people to know we’re, well, people .  Like anyone else.  And we just want what’s best for the city.”  He glances down a moment like acknowledging they sure will never forget everything that happened.  As it has been over eight months now, tensions are lower than ever but…   
  
The siblings look at each other and nod.     
  
Danny puts on his aviators and gives a look of acknowledgement.  “Now git, and don’t forget what we talked about at this assembly.  Ye just gotta think before ye act.  And think of other people’s safety.  Last thing ye want is the likes of me comin’ to yer house if ye get in trouble, yea?”   
  
The siblings chuckle and scamper off to get back to their class group.   
  
…   
  
“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Justin says as they walk through the parking lot.   
  
“I only stuttered a little ,” Daniel says back, still thinking about how the kids didn’t seem to have issue at all with them being as they are.  Helped, if anything…   
  
“Your brother sure does have a mouth.  Why did he ever need a megaphone in the past?”  Justin laughs and claps him on the shoulder.  
  
<Humph.> Danny grumbles.  <I dare him to say that to MY face.>  
  
Daniel laughs softly.  “Heck if I know.”  He tosses the briefcase into their cruiser.   
  
“If you two ever get some free time, see if you can get ahold of Emmet for me. I keep meaning to invite him and you all to dinner for the Holidays.”   
  
“Emmet?”  Daniel blinks up at him as he tosses his helmet into the car too.   
  
“Yea…I’m engaged to one of his former coworkers and I am pretty sure he has no idea,” he laughs.   
  
“OH…oh gosh are you?”  Daniel blushes slightly, thinking that is too cute.  He really will have to bring it up to Emmet.   
  
Danny grunts, <Oh man, just as long as we don’t have to come along.>   
  
<We’ll see, buddy,> Daniel giggles.   
  
“Happy Holidays, Blaze.”  Daniel smirks gently and slides into their police cruiser.   
  
The Fire Chief gives a loose salute and a nod, then is off to his own vehicle.   

**Author's Note:**

> Due to what we see in the Lego Movie Videogame, Justin mentions he kinda likes Emmet's coworker, Gail. I took it to heart as an aside in this ficlet. c:


End file.
